Religion News: Thousands gather to witness miracle in Italy

Weekly religion rail, with items on the miracle of Saint Gennaro, the end of Ramadan, and more.

Thousands of people crowded into a cathedral in Naples, Italy, last week to witness the miracle of Saint Gennaro, whose dried blood is said to liquefy three times a year.

According to wire reports, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, archbishop of Naples, announced the blood turned to liquid at 9:45 a.m. Sept. 19, and the glass vial was paraded to crowds outside, who set off fireworks in celebration.

Saint Gennaro was martyred at Pozzuoli, near Naples, in 305 AD. Legend has it that when Gennaro was beheaded by pagan Romans in 305 A.D., a Neapolitan woman soaked up his blood with a sponge and preserved it.

The miracle of the blood liquiefying was only first recorded in 1389, more than 1,000 years after Gennaro's martyrdom. Some fear disaster may strike Naples if the blood of the martyr does not turn to liquid.

Muslims prepare for end of Ramadan

Muslims will celebrate Eid ul-Fitr on Wednesday, Oct. 1, to mark the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking Allah for the help and strength that he gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control.

Practices differ depending on the country, but the celebration typically includes worshippers wearing their best or new clothes, and decorating their homes.

There are special services, processions through the streets, and a special celebratory meal - eaten during daytime, the first daytime meal Muslims will have had in a month.

Survey Says

Polling conducted between 1995 and 2008 reveals that support for keeping abortion legal in all or most cases has fluctuated between 49 percent and 61 percent over the 13-year time period.

Fewer Americans have tended to express support for making abortion illegal in all or most cases, ranging from a low of 36 percent to a high of 48 percent over the same period of time. – The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Good Book?

“Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning” by Kerry Kennedy

For Kerry Kennedy, who grew up in a devoutly Catholic household coping with great loss, her family’s faith was a constant source of strength and solace. As an adult, she came to question some of the attitudes and teachings of the Catholic Church while remaining an impassioned believer in its role as a defender of the poor and oppressed.

Kennedy asked 37 American Catholics to speak candidly about their own faith — whether lost, recovered or deepened — and about their feelings regarding the way the Church hierarchy is moving forward.

The voices included here range from respectful to reproachful and from appreciative to angry. Speaking their minds are businesspeople, actors and entertainers, educators, journalists, politicians, union leaders, nuns, priests — even a cardinal.

Get to Know … Saint Therese of Lisieux

Saint Therese of Lisieux was a Roman Catholic Carmelite nun who was canonized as a saint. She is recognized as a Doctor of the Church, one of only three women to receive that honor. She is also known by many as The Little Flower of Jesus.

Therese is known for her "Little Way." In her quest for sanctity, she realized that it was not necessary to accomplish heroic acts, or "great deeds", in order to attain holiness and to express her love of God. She wrote:

"Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love."

Thérèse was beatified in April 1923 and canonized on May 17, 1925, by Pope Pius XI, only 28 years after her death.

The Word

Ahimsa: Taking care and concern to avoid injury to any sentient creature. This is the first of the five precepts of Buddhist life. – www.religioustolerance.org

Religion Around the World

Religious makeup of French Polynesia

Protestant: 54 percent

Roman Catholic: 30 percent

Other: 10 percent

No religion: 6 percent

- CIA Factbook

GateHouse News Service

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